Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-04-02
A5oLtSHiNG HANGING.
A Bill Now Before the Pennsylvania
Legislature-An Electrical APPa-
ratus as q substitute for the
GailoyR

reduced on Thursday last o. Repre-
sentative Stevenson, of Lawrence
county. a gentleman well known for
what is denominated by pract cal poll
iicians as fancy legislation. and is in
ended to SO amend the penal code as
% allow persons condemned to death
an opt on between extinction bv hang
ng aud electricity.
The idea is not new one. As long
ago as 1882 one Ii. B. Sheridan. of
New York, applied for patent on
what he termed IAN improved dey CT
'or executing criminals condemned 10
ieath. sheridan was a phIlanthro-
st. He said that he did not wish 10
make money out OF his machine, but
mad invented j; SOlel, in the interest of
humanity. In proof OF mis- good intent
le proposed in his application dor the
patent TO assign the right to Use the in
'ention to the United States govern
nent.
The propos ton fell HAT FOR s couple
Of years. Then. in Nav. 1884. DIR.
Henry Il. Smith. OF No. 1900 Spruce
street. this city, president Of the Med
cal Society OF the State Of PennSylva-
aia. brought it up for the consideration
If that body in his annual address. He
said: 1T NAV not be inappropr ate in
connection with the subject of state
medic ne also TO call attent on 10 the
oropriety of memoir aliZing the legisla-
.ure to modify the present mode of cap
tai punishment and make It cOrre-
spond with the scientific progress OF
the age. Without discussing the ne
cessity of such punishment. we may
Justly urge that as its main object is the
removal from society of those whose
ives are detr mental 10 its best inter-
ssts. this should be accomplished in the
least painful manner, and ii does seem
as if death bv electricity should at pres
INT receive due consideration. 1t has
frequently happened in the incautious
handling of wires connected with cleo
.ric light, etc, that instantaneous loss of
life Gas ensued. anG il is not surprising
that the inventive genius of our peo-
pie should have already suggested the
application of electricity to executions.
| feel. therefore. that | advance the
cause of humanity when l direct at
tention 10 this subject with view oi
obtaining leg slative sanction
President Smith then proceeded 20
give MIR. Sheridan description OF his
apparatus rs follows: " Ii consists OF
An ordinary armchair with legs con-
tanning some substance that will insu-
late the body of the chair from the
knobs on which the hands OF the crimi-
nal will rest and the chair has a foot
/ rest in which is fitted brass plate. The
oack of the chair is as high as man Z
shoulders. At the top is a small knot
with q hole for peg. The positive
wire of a dynamO-electrc mach ne
running up the back of the chair ends
/ in the knob. The negative wire runs
to resistance coil under the chair. and
thence to brass plate in the foot-rest.
Another positive wire runs to one oi
the brass knobs on the arms of the
chair. and The second negative wire tC
the other kncb. These wires can b,
| connected with dynamo machine mile,
away. by conducting wires. The chail
may be used in two fferent ways. a:
the two sets Of wires are not operated
together.
If the foot-rest wire is used som,
prev Gus preparation is needed, and /:
small silken collar IS fitted tightly OF
the neck of the Grim nal. This has OF
1 the inside at the back a small bras!
button VIII ;ch fits closely against til,
/ spinal pro- ess.. THIS is connected witt
( a small silk cable which hangs dowI
| loosely and ends in a brass peg. Thi
collar being put on the criminal in hi
cell, lie is then brought out IN his bar
/ feet and seated in the char. Strap
fasten his arms to the arms of the chai
and his legs to the chair-leg. The bras
peg of the silk cable is inserted in til,
hole on the brass knob at the back q
the chair and is there held by q screw
The bare feet of the criminal rest OF
The brass plate of the foot-rest, and th
circuit would now be complete were
not that the positive wire IS broken a
short distance from the chair. bu
connection can be at once establishes
by turning a switch or pressing = but
ION. When this is done the full charg
Of electricity enters the criminals bod
at the nal cord and passes out at hi
feet. the resistance coil. which il meet
under the chair, increasing its fore
and preventing it from injuring th
4, namo machine on its return. Th
criminal is killed instantaneously an
without pain. as the electricity ACT
much more rapidly than the nerves {
sensation.
The second method of using th
chair s TO discharge the cuNent int
the palms of the hands through th
large brass knobs. In this case n
collar is needed, and the criminals fee
need not be bare. in either case a
the wires and apparatus, except ne th
small collar, would be out of sight, an
he criminal would see nothing but a
ordinary chair. The sheriff can signi
the executioner to turn thS switch, {
be can press q button on the floor, an
in a second all would be over"
DR.. Smith when seen yesterday in r,
gard TO the bill said: Il had nothin
. to do with It's introduction. and Il
, matter had pretty much passed no
my attention, as the State Medic
society took no a"tion upon my 81.
ycstion. Nevertheless, ! believe to-da
, As ! did then. that the measure is
good one. II is certainly practical
, and scient fic. The object of capt.
pun shment S not TO torture the GRIN
nal. but ; mpiy TO abolish him.
An old member of the legIslatur